Tuning in with KOXY's key players

They are the unsung heroes of KOXY radio: the playlist crafters, the mix masters, the tastemakers of Occidental. They are the KOXY DJs. Whether they started their show in pursuit of fun or fame, these gurus dictate much of the musical conversation on campus. Here are four interviews with a selection of DJs that aim to represent the quality and diversity KOXY has to offer.

WD: “Both of us individually were thinking about doing a folk music show and then we were hanging out with mutual friends and I said ‘I wanna do a folk show!’ and Alex said ‘wait, me too!’ We didn’t know each other at that point, so [the show] is kind of how we got to know each other.”

JC: What do you like to do during your show?

WD: “One thing we both like to do is look for local artists, and if we can find out where they’re playing, it’s cool if we can announce a show that’s coming up. There’s a lot of folk in L.A., which is surprising!”

JC: What’s been your favorite thing about having a KOXY show?

AL: “It’s an hour every week to just listen to music and talk about it.”

WD: “It also makes you find new music. I’ve learned about a lot of new artists while searching for things to play on the show.”

JD: “A lot of the reason we wanted to do this was to share music with people and be a part of this community. I like the idea of people being able to find more music and not just have it in the background.”

JC: What role does each of you play during the show?

RJ: “Jack finds all the music and makes the playlist. Sometimes he involves me in the playlist-making, but mostly he makes the playlist and I comment on it.”

JD:“A lot of the fun in the show is getting Raven’s reactions and commentary because she hasn’t heard most of the songs. It’ll be her interrupting halfway through saying ‘Oh my god guys, this drop is so cool!’”

JC: What song will you never play on your show?

RJ: “Anything by Lana Del Rey.” JD: “I hate ‘Animals’ by Martin Garrix. The first time I heard it I thought it was a joke.”

MF: “I like giving the people the option to get to know my music taste. Before I had the show, people would always come up to me and ask me ‘Oh, could you give me some music suggestions?’ and I said ‘Well, I don’t know what your taste is!’ Now, if you want to know what I listen to, just listen to my radio show and go from there.”

JC: How did you come up with the title for your show?

MF: “My name is Maddy, so ‘mad’ is kind of a pun. On the new Arctic Monkeys album there’s a song called ‘Mad Sounds.’ It was my favorite on the album, so it worked out very well for me. It was the first song I ever played on the show!”

JC: What are some of the things you like to do during your show?

MF: “I’ll usually introduce a song and if I have some sort of story to go along with the song I’ll talk about that. Sometimes I’ll have marathon days. I’ve played an hour of Vampire Weekend; I’ve played an hour of U2. I also give shout-outs to my mom or whoever is listening.”